REGARDING the letters and articles in your newspaper about issues related to government funding for Stoneyholme and Daneshouse in Burnley and the proposed new mosque at Stoneyholme, I believe many readers are being misinformed on these subjects.

I also believe that Burnley Council and voluntary organisations, which supposedly represent the ethnic minorities and are funded by the Council and other organisations to develop the community and foster good relations with the indigenous community, have failed to respond to and clear up issues and incorrect information raised by both readers and reporters.

I strongly suggest that the Council and yourselves should highlight the issues of on what basis did the Government invite the Council to bid and receive funding; how much funding has been made available by the Government and which parts of Burnley have received or are planning to receive that funding.

If the breakdown is effectively highlighted, readers will get a clear picture of what is happening regarding Single Regeneration Budget funding in Burnley.

I believe you will find that the Council was only able to bid for these funds because Daneshouse ward is one of the most deprived wards in the UK, but the majority of the funds, so far, have not been spent in Daneshouse ward but in other areas in Burnley. Everybody in Burnley has benefited.

There are still high levels of unemployment, lack of opportunities, enterprise and recreational facilities, deterioration of housing and environment in the Daneshouse ward. I urge the Council and your newspaper to allay the fears and concerns of the citizens of Burnley before we get to a point where misinformed views in your paper border on the xenophobic. I believe the million-pound development will benefit the people of Burnley by providing employment. Those who ask about the need for another mosque or say build a smaller one, should consider that the present site of the Shah Jalal Mosque and Madrasa is in disrepair and cannot meet the present demands of the community.

The population of Stoneyholme and Daneshouse is growing at a faster rate than your average 2.4 family. Investing such a huge amount of money in a large building is a matter of common sense as it will last well into the next millennium and will be big enough to cater for future generations, rather than building a mosque every 10 years to meet the demands of the community.

What we all must understand is that the mosque is the heart of the Muslim community, not only a place of worship, but where children are educated in the Islamic faith as well as raising awareness of other religious faiths.

I urge the Council to act positively and approve the plans for the proposed development. They should follow the good example set by other councils, such as Pendle, Blackburn, Preston, Manchester, Oldham, Bolton, Rochdale etc. which have positively encouraged the Muslim community in those areas to develop similar proposals.

People in Burnley should not be concerned about taxpayers' money being wasted and so on and so forth. In fact, the Council will receive money for land which has been derelict and an eyesore for the past 20 years and it will not cost a penny to the council tax payer.

This new development will regenerate to Stoneyholme and Daneshouse more than any new road bumps or designer dustbins that the councillors think up.

SHAH M HUSSAIN, Secretary, Stoneyholme and Daneshouse Community Association, Daneshouse Road, Burnley.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.